Disabled passenger claims United Airlines locked her in the jet bridge all by herself: ‘Come rescue me’

A disabled woman claims United Airlines locked her in the jet bridge between the airplane and the airport terminal gate. In a video posted to TikTok, the woman is seen alone in the jet bridge, shaking from pure disbelief at what’s happening.

We’ve seen plenty of TikTok videos showing how difficult transportation is for people who rely on wheelchairs, but this one seems to have caused the most outrage amongst the netizens of TikTok. The viral clip, which was posted by a woman named Birdie, shows her waiting in the jet bridge with both ways out locked.

“I don’t think you’re going to believe this,” Birdie says, adding, “I’m shaking because I’m not believing it.” She then warns her viewers that, if they’re flying United and are disabled, to “make sure your reservation has your wheelchair all the way through.” She then goes on to claim she’s been left by United Airlines staff and that she’s “all by myself, nowhere to sit, just waiting, hoping that they will bring somebody to come rescue me.”

Birdie’s video was viewed over two million times, and most of the comments expressed concern for her. “Are you ok though? It’s been 3 hrs please tell me you’re not still there,” one comment reads. Others advised her to sue United Airlines, claiming it was “very illegal” for staff to have left her alone in the jet bridge.

Birdie explains what happened

In a video posted after the ordeal was over, Birdie said she appreciated all the comments and concern from viewers and confirmed she had escaped the jet bridge.

Birdie claimed that she had been traveling on an international flight from the U.S. to Canada alone. She had a connecting flight where they had provided the wheelchair she claims she had requested. However, things changed when she arrived at her destination.

While she claims staff had been very accommodating during the flight, even storing her cane during the flight so she could use it on the plane, when it came time to deplane, Birdie found her cane, walker, and other items waiting outside the plane, but no wheelchair, as she had requested. She claims one of the flight attendants told her they had booked a wheelchair, but when they spoke to the gate agent, they seemed frustrated and said there was no wheelchair on Birdie’s reservation.

Birdie claims airport security rules meant the flight attendants ended up having to leave, but nobody communicated to Birdie what was happening, simply letting her wait in the bridge with no assurance she would get a wheelchair. 

Then things went from bad to worse as Birdie claims, “From the top of the jet bridge, I heard, ‘I’m gonna have to lock you in here.’” While initially unsure the gate agent was even talking to her, she soon realized she was trapped with no way of knowing when she’d be let out. While she did get out in the end, Birdie described it as an “awful experience,” stating she hopes nobody else has to go through it.